Sunday, 15 April 2012

VULNERABLE children under the Tanzania Street Sports Academy (TSC) in Mwanza are scheduled for a three-week tour of Germany, aimed at sharpening their skills.

The founder of the academy, Muutani Yangwe told reporters on Saturday that the team of 24-youth will make up the tour planned from July 14th to August 5th. They will visit four German cities. "As an academy we want to have the best talented players and we believe proper training, international exposure and trials are vital for their career," he said.

He said they aimed at being among the top academies not only in the country but outside the country and they believe that they can only achieve that if they nurture and sharpen the player's skills to the highest standards. Yangwe said they strive at having their players placed in high class clubs in the continent and the international circles and in so doing, promote the country's sports standards.

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

This year’s Easter break couldn’t have come at a worse time. Just a few weeks ago, we got the ‘boom’. Now, as you very well know, the furthest the boom can last with most of us is a week. So, this meant, I had to employ ‘unconventional’ tactics to get my bus fare back to Dar.

I tried borrowing here and there in vain. So, this one time I was at Buhongwa attending a funeral, I got a call from my friend, Hussein, from whom I wanted to borrow Sh50,000.

But since I wanted to leave on the following day, I asked Hussein to get a ticket for me in town, which he did.

Unfortunately, he got me a ticket for a bus called ‘Lucky’. This, I only discovered on the morning that I was travelling, at the Nyegezi bus stand.

Buses that ply the Mwanza - Dar route fall into various categories, like stars for hotels. There are the fancy, luxurious ones every student goes for. Those are the five-star buses. But there are also the zero-rated ones. These are those which when you board you just pray all the way that you arrive in Dar in one piece, and not in pieces. Too bad for me, ‘Lucky’ is such a ride.

Tuesday, 10 April 2012

AFRICAN Barrick Gold (ABG) is set to open another gold mine in Sengerema district, Mwanza region in which the government will have free carried interests in line with the Mining Act of 2010, Energy and Minerals Minister William Ngeleja announced in Dar es Salaam on Thursday.

The free-carried interest (a share that a general partner receives as compensation, despite not contributing any initial funds) will enable us to get dividends and have representation in the board of directors," Mr Ngeleja said. The minister made the remarks during an occasion to unveil the Mining Advisory Board (MAB) in Dar es Salaam on Thursday.

The formation of the ten-member board is in line with the requirements of the Mining Act of 2010. It will be charged with advising the government on all matters related to the mining sector. ABG announced mid this week that gold deposits at the envisaged gold mine, to be dubbed Nyanzaga Project, are in excess of four million ounces.

Sunday, 8 April 2012

Chadema legislators Highness Kiwia of Ilemela and Salvatory Machemli for Ukerewe and six other people have been attacked and seriously injured by unknown people at Ibanda village in Ilemela district, Mwanza Region.

The RPC said MP Kiwia, who was reported as seriously wounded on the head, was flown to Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) yesterday for further treatment while Ukerewe MP Machemli was treated at Sekou Toure hospital.

Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Tourism stakeholders in Mwanza, Mara, Kagera, Dar es Salaam and Arusha regions want the government to upgrade the Mwanza Airport to an international status in a bid to boost the sector.

Meeting in Mwanza at the weekend, more than 30 stakeholders in the sector agreed that efforts to boost tourism in the country’s most populous region would be futile without an international airport in place. Mr Junaid Kadri of Tourism Development Initiative based in Mwanza said the government’s target to attract one million tourists a year can easily be surpassed if Mwanza would have an international airport.

“Apart from the region being only two hours drive from Serengeti National Park, it is endowed with the unexploited largest Africa’s lake by area,” he said. He said since the lake sits adjacent to Serengeti and Rubondo Island National Parks, opportunities for tourist activities in and around the lake are plentiful. Giving examples, he said Lake Victoria is a biological hotspot, making it home to a number of tropical fish, and is very rich in variety of birdlife.